Kennedy and the Cold War

REMINDER!

Cold War= 1945 to 1989

United States VS Soviet Union

War against COMMUNISM

John F. Kennedy

Son of wealthy Boston businessman Attended Harvard Served in the navy during WWII Elected to Congress in 1946

JFK becomes President in 1960

Defeats Nixon Televised debates make the

difference

Candidates agreed to 4 televised debates

Nixon in hospital before so he appears pale and exhausted

Many who listened on radio thought Nixon won debates but most watched on TV…

Kennedy was elected with a lead of 112,827 votes, or 0.1% of the popular vote, giving him a victory of 303 to 219

JFK steps into tough times

Sputnik I and Montgomery bus boycott The Soviets were advancing and Brown v.

Board of Education still had a long way to go- segregation was still taking place.

Kennedy launches new Cold War strategies

1) Build up the nation’s armed forces 2) More money to Army Special

Forces i.e. Green Barets

3) Help developing countries through the Peace Corps (also known as “Third World Countries”)

“Third World”= developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Kennedy Confronts Communism in Cuba

Fidel Castro takes over in 1959 WHY / HOW?

U.S. tries to play nice but Castro is a radical leader and takes aid from Soviets.

BAY OF PIGS

Before leaving office, Eisenhower cuts off ties with Cuba and plans a CIA-led invasion to overthrow Castro. 638 Ways to Kill Castro

Kennedy decides to follow through with the plan and a CIA-led force of Cuban exiles attacked in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

*This was done less than three months after Kennedy became President!

Poor planning! 1) poorly equipped forces 2) no protective cover 3) the invasion FAILS

*All but 300 of the 1,400 invaders were killed or captured

The Bay of Pigs invasion turned many Cuban Americans against Kennedy.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Who is Nikita Khrushchev?

leader of the Soviet

Union following the

death of Stalin

What took place?

U.S. intelligence discovers Soviets building nuclear missile sites in Cuba

6 tense days where nuclear war was a real threat

Results: Soviets remove missiles from Cuba b/c the

U.S. promised to do the same in Italy and Turkey

The U.S., GB, and SU all sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (bans above ground testing).